Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced last week that a retired New York City police officer was given five years in prison for the robbery of three Nassau County banks in 2008.
Athelson Kelson, 61, a resident of St. Albans, Queens, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery in February, and was sentenced on April 1. Kelson, according to published reports, had fallen on hard times after retiring from the New York Police Department, going through a divorce, and being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Kelson admitted his culpability for several robberies of bank chains in Franklin Square, West Hempstead and New Hyde Park during the summer of 2008. He was also allegedly connected to several robberies in Queens.
He became known in media reports as the "bling bandit" because he often wore jewelry up to the teller window while carrying out his crimes. He also often hid his identity using sunglasses.
Kelson's crimes were taken very seriously by authorities, in particular because he used a handgun to intimidate the bank teller during his first robbery in Nassau County.